Israeli, U.S. Officials Say New Sanctions Due to Conduct of Ben-Gvir, Smotrich - Israel News - Haaretz.com
Senior Biden administration officials had warned Israel over the past few weeks that the way the government, army and police are addressing incidents of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank would require the United States to impose additional sanctions not only on right-wing extremists, but also on the Israel Defense Forces and police.
A senior Israeli source told Haaretz that in many of the discussions, American officials pointed a finger at Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir as giving backing to Israelis involved in the violence.
Ben-Gvir and Gopstein attend a campaign event in 2019.Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
Over the weekend, the White House announced it was imposing sanctions on far-right activist Bentzi Gopstein, who is close to Ben-Gvir, as well as a number of other people and organizations alleged to have been involved in anti-Palestinian violence. Officials said they also planned to formally announce sanctions against the IDF's Netzah Yehuda battalion, which would be the first time an IDF unit has been subject to such a step.
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In recent years, Netzah Yehuda, which is stationed in the West Bank, has been involved in several incidents in which Palestinian civilians were killed. That includes the 2022 death of Omar As'ad, an 80-year-old U.S. citizen who died after being arrested by soldiers from the battalion.
Israel was not entirely surprised by the sanctions against Netzah Yehuda. The U.S. government had begun investigating its actions two years ago following the death of As'ad. The sanctions against Gopstein also came as no surprise, although Israeli officials did not know when they would be announced.
"Since the Americans imposed sanctions on extremist settlers at the beginning of the year, they were expected to act against Gopstein, too," a senior Israeli official told Haaretz. "All the American sanctions are directly connected to Ben-Gvir's conduct as the minister responsible for the police, so it was clear the list would include people close to him."
Netzah Yehuda base, in 2022.Credit: Emil Salman
A source in the U.S. government involved in the sanctions discussions told Haaretz that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's conduct had strengthened the position of those in the administration pushing for the measures.
The American source added that discussions about sanctioning extremist settlers, and potentially also certain Israeli military and police units involved in violence against Palestinian citizens, have been ongoing internally "for more than a year," yet it was Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's open support for those accused of such violence, that eventually tipped the scales in favor of sanctions. "People got a sense that this Israeli government wasn't going to seriously investigate or punish people who harm Palestinians, and that some of the ministers in it actually suppport those people," the source added.
The U.S. source cited as an example Smotrich's response to the first round of sanctions on violent settlers: he used his position as finance minister and minister in the Defense Ministry to help those who were targeted by the administration. This, in the eyes of the U.S., sent "a very clear message" that Smotrich supports those accused of violence and is "proud" to be associated with them. Another example was Ben-Gvir's public support for an Israeli policeman who had shot dead a Palestinian boy in East Jerusalem a month and a half ago.
Israeli soldiers stand by as Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinians (unseen) during clashes in the West Bank town of Huwara on October 13, 2022Credit: OREN ZIV - AFP
While U.S. officials briefly considered adding Smotrich and Ben-Gvir themselves to the sanctions list, that was quickly ruled out due to concerns it would cause too wide a breach in bilateral relations and have an unintended domino effect on their ministries.
The administration stressed over the weekend that the sanctions on Netzah Yehuda arose solely from incidents in the West Bank that occurred before the Hamas attack on October 7. Nevertheless, an Israeli official told Haaretz that the Americans believe Israel hasn't done enough to investigate soldiers who had harmed Palestinian civilians during the war in Gaza.
"They believe that the army is afraid to punish violent soldiers and commanders mainly because of how Smotrich and Ben-Gvir may react and the understanding that [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu would not publicly support the army," the source said.
IDF soldiers with an Israeli flag that states "Nitsanit, we have returned," referring to the settlement in northern Gaza that was evacuated in 2005.Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
The Biden administration's punitive actions against Israel stem from two measures – a February executive order clearing the path for sanctions against West Bank settlers and a national security memorandum reiterating that recipients of U.S. military assistance are obligated to abide by US law relating to human rights.
In addition to Netzah Yehuda, the U.S. is also investigating the activities of at least two other Israeli units, both believed to be part of the police, and they are likely to also be barred from getting U.S. military equipment and training assistance.
In addition, the administration this week is due to issue its annual human rights report, whose chapter on Israel is expected to include a reference to these units and Israel's failure to punish soldiers, police and extreme rightists who harm Palestinians.
Per the national security memorandum, Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin must submit a report to Congress in two-and-a-half weeks on Israel's upholding of its assurances, which it submitted to skepticism from senior U.S. officials and key Democratic members of Congress.
Gopstein at a protest against Arab homeowners in Afula, 2015.Credit: Gil Eliyahu
The Gopstein sanctions, the most noteworthy of the sanctions to date, come months after his name was first floated as a target. The sanctions against Gopstein are viewed in Washington as a message to Ben-Gvir.
Despite their unprecedented nature, the looming Netzah Yehuda measures are not considered to be as punitive as the others. Indeed, some U.S. officials object to the measure being classified as "sanctions" but simply hold Israel to the same standard it holds all of its allies receiving U.S. military assistance.